Toy vehicle with stabilized front wheel

ABSTRACT

A toy vehicle with a flywheel operatively associated with a front wheel. The toy vehicle comprises a chassis having a front end supported by the front wheel and a rear end supported by a rear wheel. A motor is operatively connected to the flywheel to rotate the flywheel and generate a gyroscopic effect while the toy vehicle is moving. The flywheel is adapted to rotate independently of the front wheel. Accordingly, the front wheel rotates about the axle whenever the toy vehicle is in motion whereas the flywheel rotates about a front axle whenever the motor is energized. The motion of the toy vehicle may be controlled by a propulsion drive operatively associated with the chassis and drivingly coupled to the rear wheel. The direction of the toy vehicle may be controlled by a steering drive.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of and priority to prior filed co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/586,561 to Hoeting et al., filed Jul. 9, 2004, entitled “Toy Vehicle with Stabilized Front Wheel,” having Attorney Docket No. BGZ-32, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a toy vehicle, and more particularly, to a toy vehicle with a stabilized front wheel.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Toy vehicles, and in particular toy motorcycles are generally known in the art. Toy motorcycles typically include a chassis supported along a longitudinal axis by front and rear wheels. Because a toy motorcycle must balance upon those two wheels, wind and other external forces can easily cause the toy motorcycle to fall over. For example, when a toy motorcycle is in motion, bumps in the terrain can cause the motorcycle to become off balance. Without the use of any stabilization system, toy motorcycles, and especially remotely controlled toy motorcycles, are difficult to operate and likely to fall over.

Several approaches have been tried to enhance a toy motorcycle's stability. For example, the stability of the motorcycle can be enhanced by utilizing a four-bar linkage steering mechanism as described and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,095,891 (“the '891 patent”), issued to Hoeting et. al. and entitled “Remote Control Toy with Improved Stability.” The four-bar linkage projects a castering axis ahead of the front wheel to help stabilize the toy motorcycle, especially over rough terrain.

Gyroscopic flywheels can also enhance the stability of the toy wheels. For example, the '891 patent discloses a weighted flywheel assembly housed within and operatively associated with the rear wheel of the toy vehicle. A propulsion drive is operatively coupled to both the rear wheel and the flywheel assembly, and drivingly rotates both the rear wheel and the flywheel assembly. During operation, the flywheel assembly rotates substantially faster than the rear wheel thereby causing a gyroscopic effect that tends to prevent the toy vehicle from falling over.

While the stabilization approaches discussed above improve the stability of toy motorcycles, Applicants believe that stabilization can be achieved via other approaches as well.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a toy vehicle with a flywheel operatively associated with a front wheel. The toy vehicle comprises a chassis having a front end supported by the front wheel and a rear end supported by a rear wheel. A motor is operatively connected to the flywheel to rotate the flywheel and generate a gyroscopic effect while the toy vehicle is moving.

The flywheel of the present invention is adapted to rotate independently of the front wheel. For example, the front wheel may be adapted to freely rotate about an axle that is fixedly attached to the front end of the chassis. The motor may be positioned in a motor mount that is fixedly connected to the axle such that the motor does not rotate about the axle. Accordingly, the front wheel rotates about the axle whenever the toy vehicle is in motion whereas the flywheel rotates about the axle whenever the motor is energized.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with a general description of the invention given above, and the detailed description given below, serve to explain the invention.

FIG. 1 is a side view, partially cut away, of a toy motorcycle in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view similar to FIG. 1 showing internal components of the toy motorcycle;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the toy motorcycle in FIG. 1 showing the operation of the steering servo;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are exploded perspective views of the front wheel of the toy motorcycle shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view similar to FIG. 4A showing an alternate flywheel design;

FIG. 6 is a cross-section view of the front wheel of the toy motorcycle shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 7 is a cross-section view similar to FIG. 6 showing an alternate front fork design.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a toy vehicle 10 is shown according to the present invention. As illustrated and described herein, the toy vehicle 10 is a toy motorcycle, and in particular, a remote-controlled toy motorcycle. The toy vehicle 10 includes a chassis 12 that has front and rear ends 14, 16, a front fork 18 operatively connected to the front end 14, and a rear suspension 20 operatively connected to the rear end 16. The front fork 18 is supported by a front wheel 24 that is adapted to steer the toy vehicle 10 in a desired direction. The rear suspension 20 is supported by a rear wheel 26. A flywheel assembly 28 is operatively associated with the front wheel 24 to stabilize the toy vehicle 10 when the toy vehicle is moving. The flywheel assembly 28 will be explained in greater detail below.

As shown in FIG. 1, the chassis 12 includes a decorative shell or casing 30 that covers the internal components of the toy vehicle 10 and defines the general shape of the chassis 12. The components of an actual motorcycle may be depicted graphically on the shell 30 to increase the aesthetic value and consumer appeal of the toy motorcycle 10. For example, an engine 34, transmission assembly 36, drive chain 38, and body frame 40 are all depicted graphically on shell 30 in FIG. 1, even though none of those features are functional. The toy vehicle 10 may also include a simulated rider (not shown) sitting upon the chassis 12 and gripping handlebars 42 which are attached to the front end 14.

To increase the operability of the toy vehicle 10, body extensions 48, such as foot pads, may extend outwardly from shell 30. The body extensions 48 are adapted to provide support for the chassis 12 when the toy vehicle 10 is on its side such that the rear wheel 26 remains in contact with the ground. Accordingly, the toy vehicle 10 can, in most situations, right itself when it is lying on its side without intervention from the operator. That is, upon application of drive power to the rear wheel 26, the toy vehicle 10 begins to spin in an arcuate path until the vehicle becomes upright and is able to operate on both its front and rear wheels 24, 26. This self-righting characteristic is attractive to the operator of the toy vehicle 10 because the operator does not have to walk over to where the toy vehicle 10 is on its side. Normally, the application of power to the rear wheel 26 is all that is required to get the toy vehicle 10 back into operation.

As shown in FIG. 2, the chassis 12 supports numerous internal components, such as a propulsion drive 54 and a steering drive 56, that are enclosed or covered by the shell 30. More specifically, the chassis 12 supports a power supply 58, a rear drive motor 60, and a steering servo 62, which are all electrically coupled to a control board 64 that is supported on the chassis 12 as well. The control board 64 may also be electrically coupled to a receiver 66 located in the chassis 12 for receiving radio signals from a remotely-located radio transmitter (not shown). The radio signals may be received by an external antenna 67 that is positioned on the chassis 12 and coupled to the receiver 66.

Still referring to FIG. 2, a gear drive assembly 68 connects the rear drive motor 60 to the rear wheel 26. The rear drive motor 60 transmits power through the gear drive assembly 68, which in turn rotates the rear wheel 26 to propel the toy vehicle 10 forward. By enclosing the gear drive assembly 68 and other components within the shell or casing 30, the toy vehicle 10 is protected against debris that may clog or damage the propulsion drive 54 and gear drive assembly 68. In other embodiments, the gear drive assembly 68 may be replaced with a drive belt system, a chain drive, or some other means that drivingly couples the propulsion drive 54 to the rear wheel 26.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the steering drive 56 is operatively connected to the front fork 18, which includes substantially parallel first and second members 76, 78 (FIGS. 4A and 4B) spaced about the front wheel 24. The first and second members 76, 78 are both connected to one or more fork couplers 80, which in turn are pivotally connected to the front end 14 of the chassis 12 by a pivot pin 82. Thus, the front fork 18 pivots about an axis 84. The axis 84 may also be referred to as a castering axis 84 for reasons discussed in more detail below.

Now referring more specifically to FIGS. 2 and 3, the operation of the steering drive 56 is shown in greater detail. The steering drive 56 includes the steering servo 62 and a steering arm 90, which is pivotally connected to the steering servo 62 at pivot point 92. A link 94 is connected between steering arm 90 and flange 98, which is fixedly coupled to the second member 78 of the front fork 18. In operation, the steering servo 62 generates steering outputs that move the steering arm 90, which in turn moves link 94 either backwards or forwards depending on the desired direction for the toy vehicle 10. Consequently, when link 94 moves, the front fork 18 pivots about castering axis 84 such that the toy vehicle 10 will turn either left or right relative to longitudinal axis 102. Alternatively, the link 94 may be pivotally connected to the fork coupler 80 or directly to a portion of the front fork 18.

With reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B, the front wheel 24 comprises an outer tire 112 that surrounds first and second wheel halves 114, 116. The wheel halves 114, 116 are supported on a front axle 118 and may be held together by screws 119 that extend through bores 120 in the first wheel half 114 and into threaded bores 122 (FIG. 6) in the second wheel half 116. The bores 120 and 122 are positioned around the periphery of the respective first and second wheel halves 114, 116 such that the wheel halves 114, 116 may be assembled around the flywheel assembly 28. In other words, the flywheel assembly 28 may be encased between the wheel halves 114, 116 and housed within the front wheel 24.

As shown in the figures, the flywheel assembly 28 includes a weighted flywheel 130, a flywheel plate 132, and a motor 134. The weighted flywheel 130 may be coupled to the flywheel plate 132 by screws 136 that extend through bores 138 in the flywheel plate 132 and anchor into corresponding threaded bores 140 (FIG. 6) on the flywheel 130. The flywheel plate 132 is driven by the motor 134, which is positioned within a motor mount 144. The flywheel plate 132 and flywheel 130 are adapted to rotate within the front wheel 24 to create a gyroscopic effect. More specifically, the flywheel plate 132 is adapted to rotate about the front axle 118, which is fixably attached to the first and second members 74, 78 of front fork 18. Unlike the flywheel plate 132, the motor mount 144 is operatively connected to the fixed front axle 118 such that it does not rotate about the axle 118. For example, a hexagonal portion 145 of the front axle 118 may cooperate with a hexagonal bore 146 in motor mount 144 to prevent motor mount 144 from rotating about the axle 118. Wires 148 electrically couple the motor 134 to the power supply 58 of toy vehicle 10. As discussed below, the wires 148 may be routed through hollow cavities in the front axle 118 and front fork 18.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the motor 134 is drivingly coupled to the flywheel plate 132 by a belt drive system 150. The belt drive system 150 includes a pulley 152 coupled to the flywheel plate 132 and a pulley 154 connected to the motor 134. A belt 156 connects pulley 152 to pulley 154 such that when the motor 134 is energized, the flywheel plate 132 and weighted flywheel 130 spin about the front axle 118. Although only one type of belt drive system 150 is illustrated and described herein, any other similar means may be used in accordance with the present invention to drivingly couple the flywheel plate 132 to the motor 134. For example, FIG. 5 shows an alternate configuration of the flywheel assembly 28. In this configuration, the pulley 152 of FIGS. 4A and 4B is replaced with a gear 162. Similarly, the pulley 154 of FIGS. 4A and 4B is replaced with a gear 164. The gears 162 and 164 are sized such that they engage one another and the belt 156 in FIGS. 4A and 4B is eliminated. In other words, when motor 134 is energized, gear 164 drives gear 162 to rotate the flywheel plate 132 and weighted flywheel 130.

FIG. 6 shows the fully assembled front wheel 24 and flywheel assembly 28. As shown in the figure, the wires 148 may be advantageously routed through hollow cavities 168 and 170 in the front fork 18 and front axle 118, respectively. Such an arrangement prevents the wires 148 from interfering with the rotation of the front wheel 24 or flywheel 130. Although only the second member 78 of front fork 18 is shown as having a hollow cavity, the first member 76 may include a hollow cavity as well. In such an embodiment the hollow cavity 170 in the front axle 118 would extend substantially across the entire length of the axle 118 to allow wires to be routed through both the first and second members 76, 78 before being coupled to the motor 134. Alternatively, the wires 148 could be routed on the outside of the front fork 18 and enter the hollow cavity 170 through the end of axle 118.

As shown in FIG. 7, the first and second members 76, 78 of front fork 18 may be adapted to conduct electricity. In other words, first and second members 76, 78 form part of the electrical circuit which provides current to the motor 134. This arrangement eliminates the need to route wires through hollow cavities in the front fork 18. Instead, a first set of wires 174 may be used to operatively connect the power supply 58 to a first end 18 a of front fork 18, and a second set of wires 176 may be used to operatively connect a second end 18 b of front fork 18 to the motor 134. The first and second sets of wires 174, 176 are each comprised of a positive wire 180 and a negative wire 182.

Still referring to FIG. 7, the first and second members 76, 78 are comprised of respective upper shock bodies 184, 186 and lower shock shafts 188, 190. At the first end 18 a of front fork 18, the positive and negative wires 180, 182 are electrically coupled to metal plates 192 located in the shock bodies 184 and 186. The plates 192 transfer any current to springs 194, which in turn transfer current to lower shock shafts 188 and 190. Current may also be transferred through these components in the opposite direction. Accordingly, such an arrangement allows current to flow from the power supply 58 to the motor 134 via the negative wire 182 and second member 78, and back to the power supply 58 via the positive wire 180 and first member 76. In order to couple the first set of wires 174 to the power supply 58, both the positive and negative wires 180, 182 at the first end 18 a of front fork 18 may be routed through the pivot pin 82.

To operate the toy vehicle 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the user places a switch 200 in an “on” position to send power from the power supply 58 to the control board 64. The power supply 58 may be any suitable power source, such as rechargeable batteries. Upon receiving power, the control board 64 may then energize the motor 134 via the wires 148. Because the front axle 118 is fixedly connected to the front fork 18 and the motor mount 144 is secured to the front axle 118, the motor 134 does not rotate about the front axle 118 when activated. Instead, the motor 134 drives pulley 154, which in turn drives belt 156 and pulley 152 in order to rotate the flywheel plate 132 about the front axle 118. As discussed below, the rotation of the flywheel 130 with the flywheel plate 132 increases the stability of the toy vehicle 10 by creating a gyroscopic effect when the toy vehicle 10 is in motion.

The forward movement of the toy vehicle 10 is controlled by the rear drive motor 60, which may be any suitable lightweight motor but typically is a battery powered DC motor or a lightweight internal combustion engine. When the rear drive motor 60 is activated, the rear wheel 26 propels the toy vehicle 10 forward and the front wheel 24 freely rotates about the front axle 118. Because the flywheel assembly 28 is not coupled to the wheel halves 114, 116 and tire 112, the flywheel 130 and front wheel 24 rotate independently of each other. The rotational speed of the flywheel 130 is determined by type of motor 134, along with the sizes of the belt 156 and pulleys 152, 154 (or gears 162, 164) being used. These components may be chosen in a manner that enables the flywheel 130 to rotate substantially faster than the front wheel 24 during normal operation of the toy vehicle 10. This rotation of the flywheel 130 creates a gyroscopic effect that helps make the toy vehicle 10 less likely to fall over because of wind or other external forces, including rough terrain. For example, when the toy vehicle 10 encounters a bump along its path of motion, the gyroscopic effect helps keep the vehicle upright and maintain its current path of travel.

Additional stability is provided to the toy vehicle 10 by the castering axis 84. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the toy vehicle 10 travels on a surface 210 and the castering axis 84 projects ahead of where the front wheel 24 contacts the surface 210. Such an arrangement provides a positive caster with a trail 220, which represents the distance between where the castering axis 84 intersects the travel surface 210 and the contact point of the front wheel 24 with the travel surface 210. As the toy vehicle 10 travels forward, the castering axis 84 effectively pulls the front wheel 24 along the toy vehicle's path of motion. Thus, this castering effect or force tends to realign the front wheel 24 with the toy vehicle's path of motion when the front wheel 24 deviates therefrom due to rough terrain or the like.

Although the toy vehicle 10 could function without the assistance of an operator, it is contemplated that an operator will remotely control the toy vehicle 10 by means of a radio transmitter. For example, to initiate forward motion, the operator sends a propulsion signal which is received by receiver 66. The propulsion signal is then transmitted to the control board 64, which energizes rear drive motor 60. Accordingly, the forward motion of the toy vehicle 10 may be controlled by the operator sending an appropriate propulsion signal to the toy vehicle 10. Similarly, steering signals may also be transmitted by the operator to control the operation of the steering servo 62. Thus, by using a two-channel transmitter the operator can remotely and independently control both the forward motion and direction of the toy vehicle 10.

The motor 134 may be controlled with or without use of the remote radio transmitter. For example, the toy vehicle 10 may be adapted such that the motor 134 is activated whenever the switch 200 is placed in the “on” position. In such an embodiment the motor 134 operates independently of the two-channel transmitter and rotates the flywheel 130 about the front axle 118, even when the toy vehicle 10 is not in motion. Alternatively, the motor 134 may be operatively connected to the receiver 66 such that the motor 134 becomes operative when the receiver 66 receives a propulsion signal. By only activating the motor 134 when the toy vehicle is in motion, the toy vehicle helps prolong the operable life of power supply 58 by utilizing less energy over a given period of time. In a further embodiment, the control board 64 may have a timing mechanism adapted to deactivate the motor 134 after a predetermined time period of inactivity by the propulsion drive 54. Such an arrangement helps prolong the operable life of power supply 58 as well.

While the present invention has been illustrated by the description of one or more embodiments thereof, and while the embodiments have been described in considerable detail, they are not intended to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and method and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the scope or spirit of the general inventive concept. 

1. A toy vehicle, comprising: a chassis having front and rear ends front and rear wheels operatively connected to and supporting the respective front and rear ends, the front wheel being moveable to steer the toy vehicle; a flywheel operatively associated with the front wheel, the flywheel being adapted to rotate independently of the front wheel; and a motor operatively connected to the flywheel to rotate the flywheel and generate a gyroscopic effect to stabilize the toy vehicle while the toy vehicle is moving.
 2. The toy vehicle of claim 1, further comprising: a fixed axle, the front wheel being rotatably mounted about the fixed axle; and a motor mount fixedly connected to the axle, the motor being positioned within the motor mount.
 3. The toy vehicle of claim 1, further comprising: two or more intermeshing gears operatively connecting the motor and the flywheel.
 4. The toy vehicle of claim 1, further comprising: a drive belt operatively connecting the motor and the flywheel.
 5. The toy vehicle of claim 1, further comprising: a power supply operatively associated with the chassis; and one or more wires electrically coupling the power supply to the motor.
 6. The toy vehicle of claim 5, further comprising: a front fork operatively connecting the front wheel to the front end of the chassis, the front fork having substantially parallel first and second members operatively connected to each other; and an axle fixedly attached to the front fork, the front wheel being rotatably mounted about the fixed axle and positioned between the first and second members; wherein at least one of the first and second members is hollow so that the one or more wires may be routed therethrough from the power supply to the motor.
 7. The toy vehicle of claim 6 wherein at least a portion of the fixed axle is hollow so that the one or more wires may be further routed from the at least one hollow member to the motor without interfering with the rotation of the flywheel or front wheel.
 8. The toy vehicle of claim 5, further comprising a first set of wires operatively connecting the power supply to a first end of the front fork; and a second set of wires operatively connecting a second end of the front fork to the motor; wherein the first and second members are adapted to conduct electricity.
 9. The toy vehicle of claim 1, further comprising: a front fork operatively connecting the front wheel to the front end of the chassis, the front fork having substantially parallel first and second members operatively connected to each other; and a steering drive supported by the chassis and operatively connected to the front fork, the steering drive being adapted to generate steering outputs to steer the toy vehicle.
 10. The toy vehicle of claim 9, further comprising: a fork coupler pivotally connected to the front end of the chassis, the front fork being connected to the fork coupler so as to pivot about a castering axis.
 11. The toy vehicle of claim 10 wherein when the toy vehicle travels on a surface and the castering axis projects ahead of where the front wheel contacts the surface.
 12. The toy vehicle of claim 9, further comprising: a receiver operatively connected to the steering drive, the receiver being adapted to receive remotely generated steering signals to selectively move the steering drive and steer the toy vehicle.
 13. The toy vehicle of claim 1, further comprising: a propulsion drive operatively associated with the chassis and drivingly coupled to the rear wheel.
 14. The toy vehicle of claim 13, further comprising: a plurality of intermeshing gears drivingly coupling the motor to the rear wheel.
 15. The toy vehicle of claim 13, further comprising: a drive chain drivingly coupling the motor to the rear wheel.
 16. A remotely controlled, wheel-supported toy vehicle, comprising: a chassis having front and rear ends; front and rear wheels, the front wheel being moveable to steer the toy vehicle, the rear wheel being operatively connected to the rear end; a front fork operatively connecting the front wheel to the front end of the chassis; an axle fixedly attached to the front fork, the front wheel being rotatably mounted about the fixed axle; a flywheel operatively associated with the front wheel, the flywheel being adapted to rotate independently of the front wheel; a motor operatively connected to the flywheel to rotate the flywheel and generate a gyroscopic effect to stabilize the toy vehicle while the toy vehicle is moving; a steering drive supported by the chassis and operatively connected to the front fork, the steering drive being adapted to generate steering outputs to steer the toy vehicle; a propulsion drive operatively associated with the chassis and drivingly coupled to the rear wheel; and a receiver adapted to receive remotely generated steering and propulsion signals, the receiver being operatively connected to the steering drive such that upon receiving a steering signal the steering drive generates a steering output to steer the toy vehicle, the receiver also being operatively connected to the propulsion drive such that upon receiving a propulsion signal the propulsion drive becomes operative.
 17. The toy vehicle of claim 16, further comprising: a power supply operatively associated with the chassis; and one or more wires electrically coupling the power supply to the motor.
 18. The toy vehicle of claim 17, further comprising: a switch operatively associated with the power supply such that when the switch is placed in an on position the motor becomes operative to rotate the flywheel.
 19. The toy vehicle of claim 17 wherein the motor is operatively connected to the receiver such that the motor becomes operative when the receiver receives a propulsion signal.
 20. The toy vehicle of claim 17, further comprising: a control board supported by the chassis and electrically coupled to the receiver, the control board having a timing mechanism adapted to deactivate the motor after a predetermined time period of inactivity by the propulsion drive. 